Easy Authentic Beignets
on Feb 12, 2021, Updated Aug 22, 2024
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You are in for a treat with this classic Beignet recipe. Beignets are like an easy version of donuts. They are pillowy, deep fried, dusted with powdered sugar, and to die for!
Beignets originate from France and can be translated in English to mean fritter. They are extremely popular in New Orleans. When you make these delicious treats at home it’s just like being transported to the French Quarter.
Classic beignets are best served warm. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days and bring the dough back to room temperature when you are ready to fry them up. If I’m baking for a crowd I like to double this recipe because they disappear fast! Try serving them with a refreshing fruit platter and dip.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy these are to make. I think they are much easier to make than donuts and faster too.
- You can pre-make the dough for a quicker day of preparation.
- While traditional beignets are sweet, they can be adapted to include various fillings or toppings, appealing to a wide range of tastes and preferences.
- They are light, airy and taste delicious
Recipe Ingredients
- Instant Yeast – Or rapid-rise yeast
- Sugar – Granulated for the dough
- Eggs
- Vegetable Oil – Or any light oil
- Flour– All-purpose
- Confectioners’ Sugar – For dusting
- Vegetable Oil – For frying, or any high heat oil
- Salt
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How To Make Beignets
Step 1. Mix 1 cup warm water (110℉), 1 tablespoon yeast, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Step 2. Add 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 cups flour, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 4-18 hours.
Step 3. Heat 2 quarts of oil in a heavy pan to 350℉. 3. Roll out dough to ¼-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into 3-inch squares.
Step 4. Fry until golden (about 3 minutes). Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
Recipe FAQs
They are both similar actually. Both donuts and beignets are made from yeast and deep fried producing a delicious treat. They differ in shape and by a few ingredients. Beignets are a lot lighter than a donut as they are hollow in the middle.
You can pair beignets with your favorite hot drink, add some fruit on the side, or just eat it as dessert. Dipped in chocolate sauce would also be delicious. You really just can’t go wrong.
Beignet is a French word. The proper pronunciation is ben-yay.
Beignets taste like a light, airy fried bread dough, they don’t actually have a ton of flavor on their own. The powered sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness that you need.
You can make beignets in a deep frying pan like dutch oven or even a deep pot. No one likes hot oil splashing on them, so the deeper the better. You’ll need 2-3 inches of oil in the bottom of your pan.
Expert Tips
- Don’t let a little frying scare you! It’s so fun to know how to make things like this even if the cooking method might be new to you. A heavy bottomed pan, a thermometer, and a spider strainer (to get the food out of the hot oil) will make all the difference.
- Ensure the oil is precisely 350℉ for even frying. A thermometer is essential for accuracy.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan by frying only a few beignets at a time to maintain the oil temperature and ensure even cooking.
- Don’t be stingy on the powdered sugar and consider serving them with a shaker of powdered sugar on the side so folks can add more as they like while eating. That’s how they are served in New Orleans.
- Keep your hands and rolling pin well-floured to prevent the sticky dough from sticking.
How to Serve and Store Beignets
Beignets are traditionally served with café au lait (coffee with hot milk) or hot chocolate. You can top them with chocolate or caramel sauce. Berries or sliced fruit add a refreshing contrast to the fried dough. A dollop of whipped cream can add a touch of decadence.
You can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days and bring the dough back to room temperature when you are ready to fry them up. Store any leftover beignets in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350℉ for a few minutes to regain crispiness before serving.
More Breakfast Recipes to Consider
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup: Cozy Holiday in a Bottle
Muffin Recipes
Spice Up Your Morning With Gingerbread Muffins
Pancake Recipes
Stack ‘Em High: Golden Cornbread Pancakes
Sourdough Recipes
Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread – A Perfect Breakfast Loaf
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Easy Authentic Beignets
Equipment
- Thermometer
- Heavy Bottomed Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water, (110℉)
- 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- confectioners’ sugar, at least 1 cup
- additional 2 quarts of vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the eggs and 2 tablespoons of oil into yeast mixture.
- Add the flour, salt and stir together until well combined. The dough will be a bit sticky, that’s ok.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (sometimes lightly wetting the edge of the bowl helps the plastic wrap to stick on tightly). Refrigerate dough for 4-18 hours, until it has nearly doubled in size, and depending on your schedule (this is great to make the night before and fry the next day).
- Prepare for frying the beignets by setting a wire rack into a rimmed baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
- Pour the 2 quarts of oil into a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or large skillet, it should fill the bottom of the pot 2-3 inches. Heat over medium to medium-high heat.
- Transfer dough onto a floured counter and cut in half. With one half of the dough, pat into a rectangular shape with floured hands, flipping to coat with flour. Roll dough out into ¼-inch-thick rectangle (about 12 by 9 inch).
- Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into twelve 3-inch squares.
- Repeat this process with the second piece of dough.
- When the oil is 350℉ (using a thermometer is the easiest way to gauge this), add a few beignets at a time (don’t over crowd the pan). Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes total, flipping halfway through frying.
- Transfer beignets to the pan with the paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough.
- When they are cool enough to touch but still hot place them on the rack set inside the pan. Dust heavily with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
Notes
- Don’t let a little frying scare you! It’s so fun to know how to make things like this even if the cooking method might be new to you. A heavy bottomed pan, a thermometer, and a spider strainer (to get the food out of the hot oil) will make all the difference.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan by frying only a few beignets at a time to maintain the oil temperature and ensure even cooking.
- Keep your hands and rolling pin well-floured to prevent the sticky dough from sticking.
- Don’t be stingy on the powdered sugar and consider serving them with a shaker of powdered sugar on the side so folks can add more as they like while eating. That’s how they are served in New Orleans.
Maybe fix bake time which reads one hour at top of recipe whereas in recipe it says 12-18 hours for rise time. Hoping to make these for breakfast this morning but I guess we will have them for desert tonight.
Came out very nicely. Kids did the powdered sugar and I don’t think I needed to ever say more lol. They ate them up faster than I could cook them. Made a few sopapillas with cinnamon sugar too and they were also delicious. Great recipe.
My first thought when seeing the recipe said to refrigerate the dough until it doubled in size is that yeast needs warmth to rise? It thought I’d try it anyway. And, as expected, I wasted an hour waiting for it to rise. Don’t put it in the fridge to rise, it won’t. Leave it in a warm place
It needs time to rise when it cold, it says put it in the fridge for 12-18 hours, not 1.
Thank you I thought I read it wrong it does say an hour…I’m with you don’t put it in the fridge if you want to eat them in an hour cause that’s what it says not 12-16 hours it states one hour or about one hour.
This recipe turned out great. It tasted amazing. I actually didn’t end up putting mine in the fridge. I let it proof on the counter and it turned out amazing. My Seven is absolutely in love. We did it together and she Can’t wait for tomorrow morning for us to make the rest
The recipe was an absolute disaster when I tried to make it and I followed it to the T. The dough was super sticky before placing it in the fridge for 90 mins. When i tried to roll it, it was sticking on every single thing, so I had to add 1.5 more cups of flour to the dough in order to get somewhat of a decent dough to roll. Anyways they finally made it to the dutch pan and came out looking super ugly, but the taste was 7/10. The texture of the dough was inconsistent but mostly airy and fluffy. Not sure if i’ll try this recipe again, but appreciate you for giving me a starting point.
You can try leaving it in the fridge longer too, like overnight, and that helps the dough to be more workable because it’s colder.
This was my first time making beignets and they turned out great. Thanks for the great, easy to make recipe!
My 15 year old son decided he wanted to make beignets yesterday. For some reason I will probably never understand, and since we have never made or even tasted one we went on the search for a recipe. We found yours and tried it this morning. Those were the best thing we have tried in a while. It was so easy to make and tasted delicious. We will definitely keep this recipe on hand.
He sounds like my kids and that’s awesome he just whipped them up! Thank you for letting me know!!
The only problem I have with this recipe is the fact that it is so easy and good. They are a snap to throw together and put in the fridge overnight, ready to fry up in the morning. Great recipe!!
These were great! I let the dough rise in the fridge over night, then they were quick to fry up the next morning. I love to dip them in chocolate or caramel!
Was your frying oil hot enough? That first little pop or heat is what makes them puff!
I’d be tempted to fill it and top it like an eclair!